What Cockpit?
Looks a bit industrial to me -= British?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Near EGSS
Posts: 432
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The agricultural looking G clamp attached to the cockpit side is puzzling. The row of probably indicator lights at the top of the panel are odd, marked LH and RH and 1-5 (one missing). Some of the guages appear to have hand written stickers attached. The floor mounted thing about where the stick would be appears to be more recent than the rest but camera angles can give the wrong impression. None of that has led me anywhere so far. A museum piece?
second picture has a clear "Flap Position" indicator/handle so definitely English speaking country. On the LHS that look like throttle pitch controls - but for a single prop?
The agricultural G - clamp is the top of the boarding ladder.
Museum piece? Surprisingly, given its history, both battered and very incomplete examples are in storage at a US museum.
The 'floor mounted thing' appears to be an unusually unadorned conventional stick. I think at that stage of a prototype's career there would have been no need for more than a PTT on the stick, also explains the guidance notes on some instruments.
I can't explain the numbered indicator lights.
Museum piece? Surprisingly, given its history, both battered and very incomplete examples are in storage at a US museum.
The 'floor mounted thing' appears to be an unusually unadorned conventional stick. I think at that stage of a prototype's career there would have been no need for more than a PTT on the stick, also explains the guidance notes on some instruments.
I can't explain the numbered indicator lights.
Last edited by meleagertoo; 1st Apr 2023 at 17:26.
If its in storage at a US museum can we therefore assume it's a US built aircraft? I42 suggested it was but a confirmation would be helpful
well sort of........
well sort of........
It's American.
It set a global first and a US one. It was not a success despite excellent flying characteristics.
To say it suffered from a built-in identity crisis would be an understatement.
Multi-engine.
It set a global first and a US one. It was not a success despite excellent flying characteristics.
To say it suffered from a built-in identity crisis would be an understatement.
Multi-engine.
"It set a global first and a US one. It was not a success despite excellent flying characteristics.
To say it suffered from a built-in identity crisis would be an understatement."
Hmm - so perhaps something that tried to be two things (or more) at once................. like that ghastly submarine/plane that was on the board last year...................
I shall let my mind run free
To say it suffered from a built-in identity crisis would be an understatement."
Hmm - so perhaps something that tried to be two things (or more) at once................. like that ghastly submarine/plane that was on the board last year...................
I shall let my mind run free
I bet Asturias is a demon at cryptic crosswords too - and poker. Something tells me he either knows or is onto it.
Come on guys, read the pictures, look at the instrumentation. There are several clues there that just don't add up. Only fair to say there are some that don't add up to me either! Granted, nothing at all that will define the type, but certainly that would point in the right direction where precious few choices exist.
I think I've figured the five L and R lights. They're exactly what you'd expect to find in that position, though maybe not in such numbers - but this was a first.
Come on guys, read the pictures, look at the instrumentation. There are several clues there that just don't add up. Only fair to say there are some that don't add up to me either! Granted, nothing at all that will define the type, but certainly that would point in the right direction where precious few choices exist.
I think I've figured the five L and R lights. They're exactly what you'd expect to find in that position, though maybe not in such numbers - but this was a first.
"is a demon at cryptic crosswords too - and poker. Something tells me he either knows or is onto it."
I do like doing cryptic crosswords - I never play cards for money and have hardly ever played poker - far more fun on here! And with about the same chance of making a fortune!!
I have learnt tho that you have to read EVERY word that an experienced challenger poster writes here - and then look to see what they HAVEN'T said.
I certainly wasn't anywhere near what seems to be Noyade's correct answer - I was thinking of some sort of Pushme-Pullyou like the Dornier Pfeil
I do like doing cryptic crosswords - I never play cards for money and have hardly ever played poker - far more fun on here! And with about the same chance of making a fortune!!
I have learnt tho that you have to read EVERY word that an experienced challenger poster writes here - and then look to see what they HAVEN'T said.
I certainly wasn't anywhere near what seems to be Noyade's correct answer - I was thinking of some sort of Pushme-Pullyou like the Dornier Pfeil
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Near EGSS
Posts: 432
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I came across a picture of the XF-81 and for reasons I can't remember discounted it without further research. Like A56 I was heading down the wrong track. I suspect the indicator lights are some sort of yaw indicator based on reported directional stability problems with the prototypes. That cockpit ladder is one serious piece of kit!
Last edited by ea200; 3rd Apr 2023 at 08:22. Reason: typo
Noyade has it, well done. This is the first prototype with a Packard Merlin (hence the mixture control) and J33 jet - hence the Bearing Temp caption - never seen on a piston engine. Various other instrumentation anomalies suggest dissimilar engines (with the benefit of hindsight!)
My take on the L and R indicator lights is they are fire warnings. The early jets were horribly unreliable so I imagine would be festooned with zoned firewires so the pilot would know where the engine had failed and the implications of it.
Those test pilots certainly earned their dough...
Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter).Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter).
Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter)Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter)
Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter)
My take on the L and R indicator lights is they are fire warnings. The early jets were horribly unreliable so I imagine would be festooned with zoned firewires so the pilot would know where the engine had failed and the implications of it.
Those test pilots certainly earned their dough...
Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter).Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter).
Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter)Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter)
Perhaps the biggest problem however, was the throttle lag the XP-81 suffered. Frank W. Davis describes the problem by stating “The pilot had about a 10 second lag when he wanted to go and about 2 seconds lag when he wanted to stop, with both thrust and drag being powerful and non-adjustable when they did occur.” (Consolidated Vultee XP-81, by Steve Ginter)
Sorry - nothing to hand - and I wasn't anywhere near it TBH - I would have spent the next week dredging up strange "convertibles" ,.... car/plane, plane/dogs kennel, plane/birthday cake............... and all the other wonderful ideas from crackpots
Open House!
- I would have spent the next week dredging up strange "convertibles" ,.... car/plane, plane/dogs kennel, plane/birthday cake............... and all the other wonderful ideas from crackpotsOpen House!
